Timeline of Events

Transcription

1 Timeline of Events 2008 October Synaxis of the Heads of all the Orthodox Churches held at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. The Heads called for the swift healing of every canonical anomaly that has arisen from historical circumstances and pastoral requirements, such as in the so-called Orthodox Diaspora, with a view to overcoming every possible influence that is foreign to Orthodox ecclesiology June 6-12 Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference was held in Chambesy-Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference established assemblies of bishops in the regions of the so-called Diaspora, and charged these assemblies with certain tasks, including the preparation of a plan to organize the Orthodox of the Region on a canonical basis. 1

2 September 25 Meeting of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) to discuss the establishment of an Assembly of Bishops February 25 Archbishop Demetrios, in his capacity as Chairman of the Assembly, sent invitations to all of the active Orthodox bishops in North America to attend the first annual meeting of the Assembly. May July First annual meeting of the Assembly of Bishops held in New York City. At this meeting, the SCOBA was formally dissolved and replaced by the Assembly. In addition, the Assembly requested that the Mother Churches authorize a separate Assembly for Canada, and that Mexico and Central America be moved to the South American Assembly. Organization of the Secretariat and 13 Committees to facilitate the work of the Assembly. The Secretariat meets monthly via 2

3 September 21 December 15 December 27 The officers of the Assembly met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Constantinople. The official website of the Assembly was launched. Members of the Secretariat announced January 3 The Assembly announced the appointment of liaison bishops for the Assembly agencies (formerly SCOBA agencies). January February 22 March 13 First face-to-face meeting of the Secretariat held in Alhambra, CA. The Secretariat established an Assembly communications program and developed a structure and process for the Committees of the Assembly. Meeting of the Committee for Youth held via Sunday of Orthodoxy: Numerous pan-orthodox gatherings of bishops, clergy, and laity were held in cities throughout the United States. 3

4 March 14 May 3-5 May 24 Announcement of establishment of Program for Communications, which was formed by the Secretariat. Communications consultants appointed. The Committee for Youth held an informal meeting of key youth leaders in preparation for its first face-to-face meeting. First face-to-face meeting of the Committee for Youth held in preparation for the annual meeting of the Assembly of Bishops. May June 12 July 15 August 11 Second annual meeting of the Assembly of Bishops held in Chicago. Pentecost: The Assembly released a joint letter to the faithful. Meeting of the Committee for Pastoral Practice held via Secretariat member Fr. Josiah Trenham began a series of interviews with each of the Assembly s member bishops. These interviews have been broadcast on the internet on the Assembly website, Ancient Faith Radio, and Orthodox Christian Network. To date, 21 bishops have been interviewed. 4

5 September 24 October 18 October October 26 Meeting of the Committee for Pastoral Practice held in Los Angeles. Incorporation of the Assembly as a legal entity in the District of Columbia. The Committee for Youth held a meeting of youth leaders from various jurisdictions. The meeting took place in South Carolina. The Committee for Pastoral Practice held a webinar for 17 new consultants to the Committee. November 16 First face-to-face meeting of the Committee for Financial Affairs held in South Bound Brook, NJ. The Committee began work on accounting and financial standards and best practices for the operation of the Assembly. Subsequent to this meeting, the Committee began holding regular monthly meetings via December 27 The Assembly released a statement condemning the imprisonment of Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, in the FYROM January 12, 2012 Meeting of the Chairmen of the Committees held via 5

6 January Second face-to-face meeting of the Secretariat held in Riverside, CA. January Meeting of the Committee for Youth held in Bolivar, PA. Committee members and 22 jurisdictional and diocesan youth workers participated. January 27 First face-to-face meeting of the Committee for Canonical Regional Planning held in Chicago. Subsequently, the Committee began holding regular meetings via 6

7 February 2 February 5 February 21 March 4 March 19 March 29 May 7 May 17 May 20 May 22 The Assembly released a statement opposing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ruling that all employers provide contraceptives to their employees, regardless of the religious convictions of the employer. Scout Sunday: Committee for Scouting released a letter to the faithful. Archbishop Demetrios, in his capacity as Chairman of the Assembly, sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, requesting the immediate release of Jovan, the Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, who was imprisoned in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Sunday of Orthodoxy: The Assembly released a joint letter to the faithful, and numerous pan-orthodox gatherings of bishops, clergy, and laity were held in cities throughout the United States. Archbishop Demetrios, in his capacity as Chairman of the Assembly, sent a letter of condolence on behalf of the Assembly to the Coptic Church on the occasion of the death of Pope Shenouda III. Meeting of the Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops held in Toronto. Members of the Secretariat met with the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) to discuss the work of the Assembly. First face-to-face meeting of the Committee for Ecumenical Relations held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. Prison Ministry Sunday: The Assembly released a joint letter on the subject of prison ministry, and encouraged the faithful to support Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM), an agency of the Assembly. Application for 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter filed with the IRS. 7

8 May 30 First face-to-face meeting of the Chairmen of the Committees held in South Bound Brook, NJ. Ten bishops participated, including Archbishop Demetrios in his capacity as Chairman of the Assembly. April 25 Meeting of the Committee for Legal Affairs held via June 5-7 Meeting of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. July 10 September First face-to-face meeting of the Committee for Legal Affairs held in Atlanta. At this meeting, the organizational structure of the Committee was established, and numerous subcommittees were created. Subsequently, the full Committee began holding regular monthly meetings via The subcommittees also hold regular teleconferences as needed. Third annual meeting of the Assembly of Bishops (scheduled to be held in Chicago). 8